


63. Uncomfortable Truths.

by glitteredsins, jennandanica



Series: Citadel: Antony Starr and Stephen Amell [63]
Category: Actor RPF, Arrow (TV 2012) RPF, Banshee (TV) RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG), New Zealand Actor RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:27:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6323932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitteredsins/pseuds/glitteredsins, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning for references to Antony's work</p>
    </blockquote>





	63. Uncomfortable Truths.

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for references to Antony's work

The next day is a blur - Stephen's so busy he doesn't even have chance to sit down for food breaks, it's non stop full on, so when his director calls an end to the day's shooting he could kiss the man.

Stephen's trailer is dark when he returns to it, he bustles around inside, shoving his things into his holdall and then when he looks for his phone he can't find it anywhere.

He'd thought he'd brought it in, but maybe it'd dropped out in his car. Shrugging it off he scoops up his bag and heads out to his car.

The minute Andy catches sight of Stephen leaving the lot, he texts Antony and John. They've managed to put Natasha on set as a cleaner, a job that is _not_ making her happy, but hell, for what they all get paid, he'd clean the guy's fucking toilet and be happy. John volunteers to track Stephen home which puts Andy off duty, at least until tomorrow morning.

When he reaches his car Stephen spends a couple of minutes hunting around inside it for his phone with no luck. "Fuck!" Grumbling he settles into the driver's seat, fires up the engine, pulls his seat belt in place and pulls out. He spends the journey home replaying his morning and the last time he recalls seeing it, he’s sure he'd tucked it in his jeans which he'd worn to work and removed in his trailer. By the time he gets home Stephen's convinced himself his phone's gone; lost and not handed in.

John pulls up by Antony's building just as Stephen's entering the garage. He stays in place for a few minutes, watching the street, making sure no one else is watching Stephen as well then files his report with Marcus. He's on-call for this evening, in case Antony and Stephen go out, but for right now, he gets to go the hell home.

"Hey, you home?" Stephen's still settling his collar in place as he nudges open the front door, calling out to his lover. "I've had a bitch of day!"

"In here," Antony calls out from the study, stretching as he closes his laptop. He heads for the foyer. "Why? What happened?"

"Ugh, I've been on my feet all day, and I mean _all_ day, didn't get to sit to eat, barely had time to take a break to piss and on top of that I've lost my fucking phone." Stephen drops his bag and toes off his sneakers. "I'm so done with the last two days, you have no idea."

Antony reels Stephen in for a kiss even as he's processing the run-down. "You lost your phone? Where?"

Stephen's shrugging as he pulls back, smiling at the kiss. "I don't know! If I knew that it wouldn't be lost," he shakes his head. "I thought it was in my jeans pocket this morning, but when I got back to change to come home I couldn't find it, I must've dropped it somewhere."

"Give me a minute. I'll see if I can track it," Antony says, already heading back to the study for his laptop.

"You can do that?" Stephen calls out. "Never mind, I need to piss... and shower, I'll be right back." He watches Antony disappear and then he's making a swift journey to the bathroom - now he's home his body is catching up with him.

Antony brings the laptop into the living room and settles on the couch, his feet on the coffee table. He has their phones backed up and tracking on and it doesn't take much to locate Stephen's phone. Goddamn fuckers. He's pretty sure this has to do with last night, with their ex-clients, but it might not. While Stephen's in the bathroom, he quickly messages Marcus the address and then bricks Stephen's phone, checking to make sure no one's actually accessed it since this morning. They've obviously tried but not been able to make it by his password yet.

Returning in shorts and a tee, Stephen pauses to check in on his lover on his way to the kitchen. "Any luck?" he asks, sure that if it can be found, Antony will know how. "And did you eat yet? Cos I'm starving and I need a beer."

"Didn't eat yet. And didn't make anything," Antony says, looking over his shoulder before he continues typing, opening and closing screens to make sure he's got all bases covered. "Sorry. Um... we can order in or go out for something. And yeah. Found it and bricked it. If we go out, we can grab another one and I'll make you a copy so you have all your stuff."

"Huh. Okay, that's cool." It certainly seems to pay to have a tech smart lover to call on. "Can we order in? I don't want to go out again." Pulling two beers from the fridge he pops the caps and offers one to his lover. "Italian okay with you? I fancy pasta." He peers over Antony's shoulder for a moment. "Where was it?"

"I want a panzerotti," Antony says, tilting his head to plant a kiss on the corner of Stephen's mouth. "Long long way from where you probably dropped it." He points out where the studio is on the map he's got out and where he found the phone. "Some stupid kid picked it up, spent all day trying to crack your password and now he's got himself a worthless piece of crap."

Stephen snorts at that. "You're a star, I had no idea you could do all that stuff," he rubs his hand over Antony's shoulder. "I'll go order up, you fancy a bottle of wine with dinner?" He's already put the loss of his phone out of his mind, knowing Antony can have all this sorted in a matter of hours.

"Sure. Red?" Antony calls back, messaging Marcus a thanks when his partner says he'll check things out. _Let me know. We're in for the night._

"Yeah." Stephen potters around in the kitchen after calling in their order, picking out a bottle of wine from the small selection Antony keeps in the wine rack. He sets out the wine, the cutlery and plates on the dining table before returning to Antony, beer bottle in hand.

"Do you want to pick up a phone tomorrow or do you want me to grab one for you?" Antony asks, quickly shutting down the surveillance reports he was reading. He had a hard enough time convincing Stephen to let him put one guy on him, much less three. And the fact he's put Natasha on the inside? Christ.

"I'm off most of tomorrow, I just have an interview to do, mid afternoon some hotel in town, the studio have a car coming for me at 3, and once that's done I'm free again, I thought maybe we could have dinner at the club or something?" It doesn't really answer Antony's question. "So maybe we could get one in the morning?"

"No sleeping in? Or is there time for that too?" Antony asks with a smile, finally powering down his laptop completely.

"Oh there is definitely time for that," Stephen grins, taking a seat beside his lover. "Maybe you can pick up a phone while I'm doing that interview? Then we're maximising our bed time huh?" he winks.

Antony wraps an arm around Stephen's shoulder and pulls him in closer, kissing him softly. The news of Stephen's lost phone meant they hadn't _really_ said hello. "I'll be happy to get one for you," he murmurs, thinking that way he can put a few extra things on it, make certain he can track it even more accurately if this happens again. Use the camera remotely. "Pink?"

"Fuck off," Stephen chuckles, "I'm not out yet," he pokes Antony in the ribs before snuggling in again. "Same as I had before please, I hate fiddling around learning a new phone."

"I think there's a newer model. How about I get one of those and I'll give you a quick tour?" Antony suggests, taking a sip of his beer and just enjoying having Stephen cuddled in against him.

"Hmm yeah, whatever," Stephen murmurs, it's been a long couple of days, he's weary and he's sure they ought to talk about what happened yesterday, but he can't find it in him to burst the bubble right now - or even tonight. "You know I could've sworn I had my phone when I was in my trailer this morning, I think I'm suffering from lack of sleep - I struggled with a few lines today too, so I think a day off is long overdue."

"It sounds like it. When's your next full one?" Antony asks, latching onto the last part to avoid the first.

"Um... few more days, Sunday I think." He blows out a breath. "When are you away next?"

"Tuesday. Could be less than a week though." Especially if Antony has his way. And he intends to. "Five, six days."

"Okay." Pulling back a little, Stephen looks up, "And... this stuff... with these ex clients, will that be a problem for you while you're away?" The question is general enough to not invite specifics.

"I hope not," Antony answers after a moment, trying hard to be honest with Stephen within the parameters of his work and their relationship. "Marcus and I are trying to settle things with them and I'll have a really good team with me." He blows out a breath. "Besides, I can't picture them fucking up somebody else's job. Then they'd be dealing with them as well as us."

"Keep Marcus close, keep him at your back, no one else." The words are a surprise to Stephen even as he says them, but one thing he does know about Antony's strange and intense business partner - he can trust him 100% to keep Antony safe, he knows the other man will do whatever it takes. He blinks and looks away. "I trust him," he adds needlessly. _I trust him to bring you back to me._

"I will," Antony promises, pulling Stephen in close and kissing his temple. "And me too. That's why I put up with his weird ass," he jokes, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Will you message me, as often as you can, let me know you're safe?" Because, yeah, Stephen's not going to be sleeping well with his lover away and this shit hanging over their heads.

"I'll do my best," Antony promises, linking their fingers. "This isn't the first time we've had to deal with this sort of thing," he says softly. "It doesn't happen often but it's not the first time. So don't worry too much. We know what we're doing."

 _Don't worry too much..._ Stephen doesn't say anything, he just presses closer and closes his eyes, wishing that he could forget it all just for tonight, he's too damned tired to waste more energy worrying. Instead he comforts himself with the knowledge that Antony seems confident enough that'll it blow over.

"We could do something special Saturday night," Antony suggests, thinking through the time they have left together while he's home. "Since you have Sunday off."

"I'd love that," Stephen's words are murmured, a smile curving one side of his mouth. "Like a date?"

"Could be," Antony agrees. "Could be something something outside the club for once. Movie, theatre... opera..." he teases.

"Opera? You've never taken me to the opera," Stephen smiles as he pulls back to prod at Antony's ribs. "Maybe we could go down to the beach? Dinner and a walk?"

"I'd like that," Antony says, kissing the top of Stephen's head. He'll have to make arrangements for extra security, especially if he can't carry, but that shouldn't be a problem. "Any idea what you'll feel like?"

"Seafood, burgers, I don't mind, just dinner with you, a date, would be perfect." Especially if Antony is away again. Stephen's not really gotten used to being here on his own, so he keeps himself busy, slotting in extra gym time.

"I'll make a reservation," Antony promises. "Make sure they have some decent desserts." He smiles. "Maybe when I get back we can drive up the coast for a weekend."

"When you get back I hope I'll spend a day recovering," Stephen returns, his smile smug. "I love how you are when you get home."

"You like my caveman approach, do you?" Antony grins, sliding his hand under Stephen's waistband.

Stephen almost purrs as Antony's fingers finds skin, "Caveman? No it's fucking hot, knowing you want me like that, that your dominance needs me to feel centred and right again."

"That's a good way to describe it," Antony says, actually a little surprised that Stephen would realize his need for him runs that deep, that his _claiming_ of his boy every time he returns home is so much more than just sexual.

"You've never really told me how it is for you, when you come home, I've just noticed you tend to be more visceral, like there's a edge to you that's not there otherwise." Stephen slips his arm over Antony's waist.

Antony nods. "I get really tightly wound when I'm working. Everything needs to be _so_ precise, our team like a well-oiled machine, and I'm responsible for all of it, for making sure nothing goes wrong, that we get in, do the job and get back out, with everyone intact, and there's no outlet for it. Even when," _there's violence_ , "we clash with another team or have to use force in some way, it's still so controlled. It has to be, and it just adds to the tension," he says quietly, thinking his way through. "So when I come home to you, you're my outlet, you're my... catharsis." Which he knows isn't the right use of the word but it's as close as he's going to get.

The more Antony refers to his work, especially in the light of recent events, it's becoming more and more apparent to Stephen that he's going to have to sit his lover down and ask some hard questions, he can't keep ignoring this issue. For now though he puts it aside.

"What did you do before me?" he asks. "When you'd get back?"

"Go to the gym. Box it out. Sometimes I'd find someone to beat the shit out of, but it wasn't the same." Antony smiles. "It never felt like it does with you. I'd still walk around feeling like there was some bit left at the bottom of the tank, just waiting to start building up again."

"So why is it different with me? Was it different right from the start?" He tips his head to look at Antony's face. It's odd for Stephen to think he is so important to someone that he provides them with something no one else can. Until Antony, he'd always felt disposable.

Antony's smile widens into a grin and he shakes his head. "Yes, from the start and I don't know. I knew you were smart and hot and our kinks lined up like we were fucking made for each other but then there was that elusive something... and I just felt good around you. There's no one else I feel this way around, never has been."

"I love you, so much," Stephen murmurs, reaching up to cup Antony's face and turn him so he can press his mouth against Antony's in a kiss. "And I want to be yours, forever."

"That's good," Antony murmurs back, kissing Stephen. "Because I don't plan on ever letting you go."

It's at that moment when Stephen is about to offer himself up that the bell rings to let them know their take out's arrived. "Fuck!"

"My sentiments exactly," Antony says with a laugh, waiting until Stephen's on his feet before pushing up from the couch. "But you _were_ starving," he points out as Stephen makes his way to the door.

Stephen's still grumbling under his breath, albeit with less enthusiasm, when he returns, the smell from the take out boxes making his mouth water and his belly rumble. "I am starving," he announces as he sets the boxes on the table and starts to sort through them.

"See then? It was good he interrupted when he did," Antony says with a wicked grin, reaching for his panzerotti. "Did you order extra sauce?"

Stephen arches a brow at his lover and hands over the item in question. "Would I forget?" he demands. "Would my life be worth living if I did?"

Antony has the good graces to look ashamed. "I didn't see it," he protests, but in the next second he's laughing and then just staring at his boy as Stephen plates the various containers. "You are so fucking beautiful."

Blue eyes flash and Stephen grins as he pauses to wink at his lover. "So you say," he retorts.

"Hey, I'm not the only one." Antony reaches for the wine and fills their glasses. "I've read your facebook _and_ your twitter." He grins at Stephen. "Of course I'm the only one who matters."

"Exactly." Stephen takes his seat and picks up his glass. "So long as you think I'm beautiful, that's all I care about."

Antony smiles. "To us," he says, raising his glass to Stephen.


End file.
